Manga Monday: That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside Vol. 1

Writer/Artist: Kumagae
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Released: October 3, 2023
Received: NetGalley

Find it on Goodreads | More Manga

Summary:

Yohei “Kuma” Sakuma is drained. His full-time job has always been as a manga editor, which means he’s always got a fuller-than-full workload. In truth, he may not have realized how burned out he was feeling – if not for the news of his magazine’s closure.

It felt like a breath of fresh air. Until Kuma was informed that he had a new job lined up within the company so he could continue his editorial work. That… wasn’t the news he needed to hear, and it made him realize something. He needed a change.

Review:

What a refreshing change of pace! That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside Vol. 1 may be a very (VERY) long title, but it was a delight to read! This series is perfect for anyone looking for something different or casual. Likewise, if you enjoy farming, this might be fun to check out.

Basically, I feel we can all empathize with the core of the plot (at least at one point in our lives, right?). Kuma is burned out and needs a change. For him, that change happens to be quitting his job and running away to the countryside (hey, we’ve all had that dream…right?).

His journey is oddly endearing, especially as he learns the basics of rice farming. Having never farmed rice, I can’t comment on the accuracy of what he was taught, but I enjoyed reading about it!

Highlights:

• Manga
• Slice-of-life-ish
• Casual Read
• Farming

Will I continue the series? Probably!

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat’s Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy